A Female Ranger?
by AnimeApprentice
Summary: Araluen has overall been at peace for years, but there has always been an old enemy lurking in the shadows, just out of reach. When they finally strike at the heart of the kingdom, who is going to save the day? A little girl with big dreams and her best friend. But, then again, what is to be expected from the daughter of a renowned Ranger and the son of the Princess?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! My name is AnimeApprentice, and welcome to my first fanfiction! I just edited this as per request of my lovely reader, Horserida and my uptight inner self that apparently hates my writing. I may not have changed much, but this meets my inner self's standards, so I'm pretty sure it's ok now. I hope you enjoy my story. Have fun! ^_^

"Will! You can't leave! The baby is due to be born soon! What if she is born before you return? I-" Alyss's frantic voice was enough to stop Will for a moment.

"Alyss, you heard what the physician said. Our daughter is not to be born for another two weeks. I will be back with time to spare. Besides, both Crowley and Halt asked me to check out the disturbances on our border with Picta." he reassured her, not believing for a moment that she really would be reassured. Alyss looked down, near tears. Her face tightened as another wave of pain from her stomach washed over her. Filled with concern, Will helped his wife into her chair by the fire.

"I feel so useless these days. I can hardly get up in the mornings and this pain prevents me from doing anything else. I mean, now you cook for me!" She smiled weakly at him, her hands stroking her swollen belly. Will placed his hands over hers and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a voice coming from the doorway.

"Yes, his cooking skills are rather lacking, aren't they, Alyss?" Startled, Will stood quickly and whirled around, his hands instinctively reaching for the bow and quiver that were not there. Halt stepped out of the shadows, his straight face betrayed by the amusemrnt in his eyes. Alyss giggled as Will lowered his arms, red-faced.

"Halt! When did you get here? You're early." The older Ranger snorted and walked over.

"No, you're late. We were supposed to leave an hour ago, and I've been standing here for the past twenty minutes. I have the feeling that your senses have been dulled."

"Well, I'm sorry that someone doesn't want me to go and spent that extra hour trying to stop me from leaving! And my senses have not been dulled, I've just been distacted." Will exclaimed. Halt looked over at Alyss, who looked away, sheepishly.

"Guilty." she sighed. Halt knelt in front of her and took her hands.

"Alyss Treaty, I swear to you that if he is not here when your baby is born, I will drag him back by the hair and make him-" Her laughter cut him off.

"Halt, it's okay. I'm just worrying over nothing. I guess I just don't want to be lonely." she sighed again, knowing that there was a reason for her worry, just not knowing the actual reason. Halt looked her over warily and stood up.

"Alright then. Will, let's go." Halt turned and walked out of the cabin. Will grabbed his things and kissed his wife before following Halt. As he secured his stuff onto Tug's saddle, Halt came up to him.

"Will, you seem distracted. What's gotten into you?" he asked. Will snapped back to reality.

"What? I'm not distracted."

"Don't take me for an idiot. It's written all over your face." Will sighed and turned to face his old mentor.

"Fine. Yes, I am distracted. I'm worried about Alyss. What if she's right and the baby does come before I get home? She'll be all alone and I can't deal with that. And on top of that, I don't know what kind of father I'll end up being to our child. I haven't even had an apprentice before let alone a baby girl! What if I'm a horrible father or I end up getting called away more often?" he exclaimed. Halt rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine. Stop worrying and let's move out before you lose your resolve." Will sighed again and mounted. Halt nodded and leapt onto Abelard, pushing him into a trot. Will followed suit and the two were silent for a few minutes, until an ear piercing scream filled the woods.

"Alyss!"

After they left, Alyss contented herself to making lunch. She kept it simple, just some bread and cheese, so as not to strain herself. Though she was perfectly fine being alone, Alyss still couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding that clung to her like wet clothing. When she finished eating, she got up and moved towards the door, intending to go out for a walk. Her stomach lurched, causing her to stop with her hand on the door handle. Alyss took several deep breaths before opening the door and stepping outside. On her next stride, she felt a pop and a wave of pain knocked her to the ground. Going into shock at this sudden turn of events, she did the only thing she could think of.

"WILL!" She screamed his name several times more until, after what seemed like an eternity later, he came. Will leapt off of Tug and ran to her, cradling her in his arms. Halt appeared shortly after.

"Get the physician! Quickly!" Will cried, beginning to slowly rock her back and forth. Halt nodded and rode off. Alyss looked up at Will's worried face and put on a weak smile that turned to a grimace as pain wracked her slim frame.

"Our daughter sure has a sense of humor. She keeps kicking. I'm pretty sure that she blames you." He looked down at her, incredulous.

"You're telling jokes at a time like this?" he asked, a nervous chuckle escaping him. Alyss tried to smile again.

"Of course I am. It helps distract me from the pain." Her back arched before she slowly settled back down again. "Somewhat. Evanlyn said that it worked for her when she had Thomas."

"Oh Alyss, everyone's different."

"Really? I kind of figured out that one earlier." she said through gritted teeth. Will half smiled and took his wife's hand. The sound of approaching hoofbeats made Will look up. The physician slid off of Abelard and knelt next to Will.

"We need to get her inside. It'll be close, but she just might make it."

"Close? Close?! Do you mean to tell me there's a chance that she'll die?!"

"Of course there's a chance. There's always a chance! That's just how these things are!"

"Why couldn't you tell me this before?!"

"I was assuming that you were quick enough to figure it out when I told you two that it was going to be a difficult pregnancy!" the physician yelled back at him, the two men momentarily forgetting the woman lying nearly unconcious between them. Finally, Halt could stand their bickering no longer.

"Oi! You two! In case you've forgotten, Alyss is having a baby, no thanks to you two! Well, maybe to Will, but that's besides the point! Just hurry up and get her inside before she actually comes close to dying!" he thundered, looking ready to murder them both. Will's head drooped in shame momentarily before standing and lifting up his wife, carrying her inside the cabin to ttheir bed. Once her body alighted the bed, her face began to relax, though her legs and back tensed.

"Not a moment too soon..." muttered the physician. Alyss's eyes fluttered and flew open. The wild look in her eyes scared Will a little bit, though he would never admit it.

"Will, ' she moaned, clutching his hand, "Don't leave me." Will gazed into her eyes and murmured, "Never." She made a contented noise at the back of her throat that was turned to a muffled scream as the pain wracked her body again. He looked up at the physician pleadingly. The older man sighed.

"The only thing you can do for her now is to tell Halt to go fetch some fresh water and some rags quickly. Also,you may watch if you feel up to it, but you must not hold her hand." he said firmly. Will looked at him despairingly.

"But Richard..."

"No buts. Just do it, and quickly, or you might not have a wife or child after today!" Will paled significantly and left the room, resisting the powerful urge to look back. After he conveyed the message, Halt left to fulfill his tasks. Will reentered the bedroom and sank down wearily, the excitement and adrenaline that had fueled him just moments before, gone. He stayed like that, silent, still holding his wife's hand. She had regained control enough over her own adrenaline powered mind to stop screaming, but she still twitched, convulsed, and grimaced as the pain kept coming.

"Seriously, don't hold her hand."

"Why?"

"Because she just might break your hand."

"How would you know, Richard?" Will asked, ever so slightly loosening his grip. The physician sighed and held up his left hand.

"Because my wife did the same to me. With every single one of our three children. You'd think I would've learned after the first time, right? So, as one father to another, let go. She won't be going anywhere." he said, chuckling softly. Will dropped Alyss's hand and contented himself to stroking her face. Suddenly, something occured to him. _Where's Halt? He shouldn't be taking this long. _As soon as the thought finished forming, he heard Abelard. Moments later, Halt burst into the room, followed by his wife, Lady Pauline.

"I figured Richard here could use some help." the Ranger explained, setting down what he was tasked to bring. Pauline shooed Will out of the room, taking his place next to Alyss. As he was leaving, Alyss's eyes flew open, looking desperately up at him.

"NO! WILL! DON'T-!" Alyss's cry was cut off from him by the door being slammed in his face. Will stood there, stunned, until Halt's hand on his shoulder snapped him back to reality for the second time that morning. Will sighed and began to pace. He blocked out everything else, totally focusing on the rhythm of his steps. He was so focused, he didn't hear Pauline's shouts of encouragement, or Alyss's final scream. It was not until a baby's cry sounded, that he perked up and flung open the door. Alyss lay on the bed still, panting, as Pauline fussed over something. He couldn't tell what it was, for she had her back turned away from him, though he had a pretty good idea.

"Alyss, you were right all along. It was a girl." Pauline sighed, turning around with a bundle in her arms. She handed Alyss the baby, placing her gently in the woman's trembling arms. Will smiled and sat down next to his wife.

"So she's all my fault?" he asked teasingly, a smile playing on his lips. Alyss frowned and looked up at him.

"Oh no. The pain I felt was all your fault. _She_ is mine." Will's smile fell away quickly. She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm kidding. She belongs to both of us." The corners of his mouth twitched before giving way to a grin.

"What's her name?" Halt asked, coming in the room. Alyss looked at her child for a moment before looking the Ranger in the eyes.

"Janet."

**A/N **Oh my. That took longer than expected. I know that the original beginning was complete rubbish, but I thought it was cool when I typed it. I tried to get rid of as many typos as I could, but if you see any, review and let me know, I promise I will read those. Also, a heads up for those who have watched Kuroshitsuji(Black Butler) seasons one AND two of the anime, check out my other fan fic that is coming soon(I hope... T.T). Anyway, you guys know the drill. R&R please and I'll try to hurry with chapter two!


	2. Chapter 2

I know I am totally a horrible person for making you guys wait so long. To make it up to you guys, I would like to give a shout out to my first three followers, Emchmi999(For following the story), CeePi-chan(For following me and my story and for getting a double shout out. Way to go!), and LordNox(For following me)! Thank you guys so much for following! Any way, here we go!

* * *

Horace paced nervously in front of his wife, nearly wearing a rut into the stone floor. Tired of watching him do this pointlessly, Princess Cassandra stood from her seat and placed a hand on her husband's arm.

"Horace, don't be like this. It will all turn out fine. Besides, I thought you three were best friends." she soothed, though she wanted very badly to slap him out of this stupor. Horace stopped and looked directly at her.

"Yes, but it's been a long while."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Horace, if they didn't want to come, they wouldn't have bothered. Besides, I think it's Tommy you should be worried about." Horace cocked his head.

"Tommy? Why, what's wrong with him? Aren't six year old's in a constant state of euphoria?"

"Euphoria? Where did you learn that one, and more importantly, why?"

"Well, I just thought it would be nice to learn some new words. Now don't change the subject."

"You don't want Halt to make fun of your vocabulary again, do you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Horace turned bright red.

"Do you know how beautiful you look today?"

"Now who's changing the subject? Anyway, in an answer your previous question, Tommy is afraid and doesn't want Will and Alyss to come."

"What? Why not? He loves them both a lot." he said incredulously. Cassandra nodded slowly as he spoke.

"I know, I know. It's not that he doesn't want them to come, it's that he's afraid of what they're bringing with them. More specifically, who."

"You're not trying tell me that Thomas doesn't want to meet Janet, are you?"

"Yes, I am. He seems to think that Janet will be replacing him as the baby of the castle."

"What? But he's not a baby, he's six!"

"But she is four, qualifying her as a baby in his mind. Just go and talk to him, okay?"

"But Evanlyn, -"

"Don't even try asking, I've already talked to him." she interrupted. Horace sighed and left the room in hunt of his son.

* * *

He eventually heard him hiding in his wardrobe, whimpering. Horace knelt down in front of the wardrobe to be level with it. He knocked on the door, but got no reply, save for a few snifflings and sighs. He knocked again.

"Tommy? I know you're in there. Will you come out so we can talk?" he asked tentatively. A small, but swift reply was heard through the wood.

"No. I'm just being replaced anyway, what does it matter." Horace sighed and opened the wardrobe door, revealing the little prince. He lifted his son out and held him in his arms, stroking the boy's hair. They were like that for quite a while before Horace pulled back and looked Thomas in the eye.

"We would never replace you, Tommy. Don't ever think that. Besides, you can't be the baby forever. Someday you'll be all grown up and rule over Araluen just like Grandfather. You'll be all big and strong like, " Horace trailed off, letting his son finish the sentence.

"Just like Mother." he said, wiping his eyes with his small hands. Horace chuckled and ruffled the prince's hair.

"That's right. Now come on, they should be here soon." Horace said, rising but still holding Thomas's hand. As if to prove him right, a whinny sounded from outside te window. Thomas rushed over in excitement to watch his godparents' arrival. Horace chuckled again as he lifted his son back in the room and down to the main gate to greet his best friends.

* * *

"I don't know, Horace. Janet can be so difficult sometimes. What was it like when Tommy was four?" Will asked over dinner, wearily watching his daughter chatter away with the prince. Horace followed his line of sight and smiled.

"Noisy, definitely, but I can't really be one to ask, since I have a son, not a daughter. But at least you'll be a reference for Jenny!" he chuckled, remembering the excited letter he had recieved a few months earlier. Will gave a pained smile.

"Oh yes. I can tell her that her baby will grow into an obnoxious little girl that allows her no sleep. Then I can tell Gilan that he will be the main target of her frustration because he isn't there to help all the time. What a happy report to give to a friend." Will remarked sourly, looking back at his barely touched plate. Horace cocked his head in confusion, but righted it again as he gave up on trying to understand and ruffled the Ranger's hair.

"I will never understand you and Halt's sense of humor." he sighed, tucking back into his food. Will snorted and took a small bite.

"How old do you take me for?"

"Will, we could be on our deathbeds and I would still do that to you, so get over it." Horace replied absently, watching the little ones as well. Will rolled his eyes and finished his food.

A startled cry snapped the two men to their senses. They looked up to see Janet crying on the floor, clutching her bleeding leg, as Thomas knelt next to her, not knowing what to do. Will and Horace rushed over, only to stop in their tracks when they saw Thomas pick her up, one arm under her back, the other under her knees, and carry her off in search of their mothers. Horace chuckled and clapped a hand on Will's shoulder.

"You know, I think we're witnessing the beginning of love here." he said, returning to his seat. Will shook his head and sat back down next to him.

"Oh my..."

* * *

Thomas continued down the hall steadily, seemingly unhindered by the extra weight of his friend. Janet had stopped crying already, but she still sniffled a bit and her puffy eyes would not be gone anytime soon.

"You know, Janey, "Thomas said, breaking the silence, "You're kinda heavy." Janet scowled up at him.

"I'm not heavy. And don't call me Janey. My name is Janet. Now put me down!" she said crossly, wiggling now. Thomas rolled his eyes and held her tighter. Janet huffed and stopped struggling, seeing that he was not going to put her down.

"You're mean, Tommy." Thomas stopped suddenly and looked at her, his feelings hurt.

"I'm not mean. I just don't want you to hurt yourself more. My mother had the same thing happen a few months ago and my father carried her off just like this because her leg was broken. I want you to be safe so we can keep playing." he said, resuming his walk. Janet's face softened and she remained quiet for a few minutes.

Just as Thomas stopped in front of a door to push it open, Janet stopped him by speaking up.

"Tommy?" she asked tentatively. He looked at her in acknowledgement. "I don't mind if you call me 'Janey'. But only you can call me that, okay?"

Thomas smiled and tensed his back to push on the door.

"Okay, Janey"

* * *

Alyss had been having a serious conversation with Cassandra when Thomas opened the door. The two women jumped to their feet when he walked in, clutching Alyss's bleeding daughter to his chest.

"Mother, Janey got hurt and I think her leg is broken." he said loudly. Janet whimpered in agreement, the pain shooting back up her little leg. Alyss raiseed an eyebrow. _Janey? But Janet _hates_ nicknames, even from me and Will._' she thought, ideas forming and running rampant in her mind. She walked over quickly and carefully lifted her daughter from the little boy's arms.

"Thomas, go get the physician. Honestly, why did you bring her to me instead of Malcolm?" she said, laying a blanket and some pillows in the floor. Thomas looked down sheepishly.

"Well, I-I, I just thought that you would know best." Alyss gave a small smile while her friend sighed.

"Just go get Malcolm." Thomas opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it and left the room, but not before casting one last glance of concern at his friend. Cassandra rolled her eyes and gestured for Alyss to lower the child onto the blanket. She complied and stood up again, realizing that she was going to have a hard time getting the blood stains out of her sleeves. Nevertheless, she crossed her arms and looked at the princess, wondering about something.

"Malcolm?" she asked, thinking of the healer from the north. Cassandra nodded.

"I still don't understand how he did it, but Horace somehow persuaded him to come down here and work at the castle."

"But what about Trobar?"

"Trobar is fine. He seems to be quite the healer, though he still scares some of he townspeople." the princess replied, remembering her last visit up north. Thomas chose that moment to burst through the doors, Malcolm in tow. The two women smiled and embraced the man each in turn before he set to work.

"So will she be alright?" the little prince asked again. Malcolm sighed heavily and gave his explanation once again.

"Yes Thomas, she will be alright. She just has some scrapes and cuts and then a twisted ankle. But, they should heal nicely and quickly so long as she doesn't take part any strenuous activities for a while." he stated, packing up his things as he did. Thomas sat there with his brow furrowed, unsure what the word 'strenuous' meant. Malcolm rolled his eyes and stood up, dipping his head to Cassandra before leaving the room. Alyss opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off when the princess silently pointed at their children. Curious, they watched the little ones interact.

"I'm sorry Janey. It's all my fault that you got hurt." Thomas whispered, ashamed. Janet looked at him, surprised he would think that.

"It's not your fault. It's my father's fault. He wasn't watching me, so I fell." she said, sounding almost bored. Thomas perked up, glad that she was not mad at him.

_Will wasn't paying attention? Oh, someone is in big trouble. _Alyss thought, her anger slowly building. As she thought more murderous things, Cassandra giggled.

"They look so cute together!" she whispered excitedly. She turned to Thomas, her childishness hidden underneath her motherly worries.

"Tommy, go wash up. I don't want you to go around the rest of the day with dried blood all over you." she called to him, staring pointedly at his stained shirt. Thomas sighed and got up to leave. "Alyss, you might want to go also." she added when she looked back at her friend. Alyss nodded and picked up her child before she left.

When she entered the hall, Alyss heard small footsteps running away. She smiled and continued on her way. _Ah, young love._

* * *

Ack! I really am a horrible person for making you guys wait so long! I've just been grounded and swamped with homework. So I made this chapter long. Or at least it seems long on Microsoft Word :P Oh no! Up at the top I forgot a follower! So, I lied. There are four original followers and I believe this person is the first to follow. Thank you so much Maxwell Yu! And also, please forgive me for leaving you out at the top. You are just so special that you get the whole bottom note to yourself ;) Anyway, I a assuming that all of my chapters will be like this(lengthwise) and therefore take a while to write because I am that lazy. T.T Well, just R&R and I will try to hurry with the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! I'm usually terribly lazy, so in an effort to reverse that, I am going to try and stay up all night to write this. Hopefully, it will work... Anyways, another shout out goes to Maxwell Yu for being the first person to favorite me and this story! Arigatou! Sorry, I've been watching to many dramas and animes that Japanese keeps running through my head with a KPop undertone. I am so w

ierd...

* * *

"Will, she actually could've broken her leg! What were you doing with Horace that could've possibly been more important than your own daughter?!" Alyss whispered fiercely, not wanting to wake up the child in question. Will sighed inwardly, knowing his wife was right, though not wanting to admit it.

"Alyss, I-" She interrupted him.

"I don't care what you have to say right now. It was a simple enough task. You just needed to keep an eye on her and keep her from doing anything that would harm her! Why is it that everytime I leave her alone with you, she gets hurt?" Alyss finally yelled, too much anger inside her for her to control. WIll sat there as if he had been slapped in the face. Kids get hurt all the time, regardless of who is watching them. But he wasn't about to tell her that. He wasn't that crazy. Will opened his mouth to respond, but turned his head instead when movement caught the corner of his eye.

"Go back to bed, Janet. It'a late." he sighed. The little girl's face clouded. She was _not_ going back to sleep.

"But my leg hurts!"she pouted, wincing when she unknowingly put pressure on it. Alyss shot him a look and he approached his daughter, sweeping her up into his arms.

"I'm sorry." he murmered softly, nuzzling her hair.

"What for?" Janet asked, confused. What did her father have to be sorry about?

"I wasn't paying attention and you got hurt. I'm sorry, my little one." Janet squirmed and giggled in her father's arms. Will squeezed her tighter for a moment before setting her down on the bed next to him, very much aware of injured leg. Janet gave a little squeak as her bandages rubbed her the wrong way. She wiggled a bit and sighed in contentment as the pain and discomfort subsided

"I only told him that to make him feel better and so he wouldn't blame himself. It's actually my fault." she sad quietly, closing her eyes and laying down back on the bed. Will and Alyss shared a glance before turning to look at their daughter in confusion.

"I know I'm not supposed climb on things, but I did it anyway. If I hadn't blamed someone, he would've kept blaming himself and that's not good. And he wouldn't believe me if I said it was my fault. Silly boy." Will just snorted and brushed the hair out of her face. Alyss made her way over and laid down on the other side of Janet. The four year old sighed happily again and wiggled down into the bed, closing her eyes as she did so. Alyss laughed softly and stroked her daughter's arm.

"Goodnight little Baby."

* * *

Okay, so my sister came home from college yesterday(eight hours ago) and I'm very happy about that, so I decided to be nice and post this little fluffy chapter for you guys. Some more shout outs go to FarmersDaughter for being my first reviewer and for reviewing both chapters so far, another to Maxwell Yu for being the first person to review the second chapter, and finally, one for Airmage who is a new follower. Warning: There is a time skip of two years between now and chapter four. Also, chapter four will be pretty long because there is a lot to fit in and I'm excited to get it posted. It's about halfway done, but it will be a Christmas present from me to you. Happy reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Merry Christmas everyone! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have had a lovely holiday break so far. In the spirit of the season, here is a present from me to you. Before I forget, Janet is now six years old and all acknowledgements will be on the bottom of the page so I don't bore you too much;) Here you go!

* * *

Janet could not sleep. She had been trying for hours now, but to no avail. She wanted to do_s_ _omething, _but she couldn't exactly put her finger on what she wanted to do. Janet scooted closer to the fire, warming herself from the cold floor. She looked up and suddenly realized what she had wanted to do. She stood up slowly and padded silently over to the hooks on the wall. There hung her father's old recurve bow, a bit worn, but useable all the same. But. . . He said not to touch anything without permission that wasn't hers. On the other hand, she wasn't going to just touch it, she was going to _use _it. Those were two completely different things, right? Of course they were.

Reaching up on the tips of her toes, Janet _lightly_ unhooked the bow and searched for the comparatively stunted arrows that went with it before heading outside. Once outside, she fumbled around a bit as she walked off into the woods.

Muttering to herself, Janet pulled up the sleeve of her little nightgown and traced the contours of the bow lightly with her fingers. A slight breeze picked up through the trees, making her shiver lightly and wonder why she pulled up her sleeve in the first place. Pulling it back down, she resumed stroking the bow. The contours were so different from her father's longbow, but the smooth worn wood of the limbs felt the same from years of use. Janet cocked her head, conjuring an image of her father from when she had watched him practice so many times before. She focused on his hands, mirroring his placements as much as she could. Just as she was about to pull back the string, a little leather something stuck out at her from her mental image. Annoyed at herself for forgetting to put on her makeshift gauntlet beforehand, she quickly wrapped the leather strap around her arm and resumed her former position. She nocked and drew the arrow until her shoulderblades nearly touched and let it fly. The arrow careened off into the forest from her crooked aim and heavy draw. Janet furrowed her little eyebrows, wondering what could've gone wrong. She had followed the image exactly. She looked down at the bow again and held it against herself. The bow touched her just underneath where her ar and torso connected.

_How was I stupid enough not to notice it was too big?! I don't really think these thing through, do I? _She thought scathingly, _Why do I have to be so small? _The little girl moved the bow back in front of her and continued to try to shoot until the sun began to lighten the sky. Panicking, she ran off into the trees to gather the scattered arrows before running back to the cabin in time to replace everything where she found it. Janet had barely lain down for a few minutes when her parent's door had swung open to reveal a half awake Will rising to make breakfast for his girls. Unable to steady her erraticly beating heart, Janet stretched a bit and rolled over, desperately hoping her father still believed her to be asleep. She would be in so much trouble if he knew what she had been up to!

Smiling softly, Will looked down at the sleeping form of his daughter. _She seems so peaceful, I hate to wake her. I guess she can sleep in until Alyss gets up. _He moved up from the table to get another mug of coffee for his wife. Not long after he set the steaming cup on the table, Alyss appeared in the doorway, rubbing her eyes before bending over to wake up their daughter.

"Come on, baby. Time to get up now. Grandpa Halt is coming over later and we wouldn't want him to keep him waiting, now would we?" she crooned, shaking Janet a little bit. The six year old groaned and wiggled, having been just about to really fall asleep. Her parents laughed together as she slowly picked herself up off the floor in front of the fire.

"Mama, I'm too tired! Grandpa Halt doesn't have to come over today, does he?" she whined, sitting up and rubbing her eyes just as her mother had done. Alyss chuckled again and mussed her daughter's hair before accepting the coffee from her husband gratefully.

"No, he doesn't have to come over today. But then again, that means you would have to wait even longer for your present then!" Will mused, recieving the reaction he had been looking for.

"No, no. He can come over." she backtracked quickly, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of some new toy from the older Ranger. Alyss shook her head with mock solemnity.

"Oh no. You said you were so tired. He will just have to come over in a few days, right Will?" she asked taking a sip of her drink to conceal her smile. Will, on the other hand, made no such move to hide his expression, leaving his big grin for Janet to see.

"That's right, Alyss. I'll just have to ride up to the casttle and-"

"NO! NO! I'm awake now, see?!" Janet cried out, her father's expression going unnoticed. Finally, the two adults could hold it in no longer and burst into laughter at their daughter's distraught expression.

"What's so funny?" Janet asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. Unfortunately for her, this only added to her parents' laughter. Annoyed, she crossed her arms and pouted, waiting for one of the to realize that she found no aspect of this funny and was rather hungry to top it off. Will scooped her up in his arms, shaking slightly with mirth. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll go change." Ayss said quickly, taking Janet with her into their room. Will sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before opening the door.

"Halt! What a surprise!" The older Ranger grunted and stepped in out of the morning sun.

"The day you admit that you're surprised is the day I admit I'm too old for this." he grumbled, gesturing around at the cabin. Will chuckled and patted his old mentor on the shoulder. "Oh yes. Laugh it up now. Just wait and by the time you're my age, you'll have already retired." halt almost smiled as Will's smile disappeared instantaneously.

"Grandpa Halt! Grandpa Halt!" Janet burst out of the room, running with arms outstretched. Halt caught her and hoisted her up on his shoulders.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that? It makes me feel old."he remarked teasingly.

"Well, if she called you Uncle that'd be too young of a term." Alyss appeared in the doorway.

"Lovely to see you too, Alyss." he reponded dryly. Halt's mind was completely distracted from the two adults in the room when he felt an incessent tugging on his head.

"Where's my present, Grandpa Halt? You always bring me something when you go away!" Janet said, still tugging on his head. in answer, Halt took her down from her perch on his shoulders and set her on the ground in front of him.

"Aren't we a little forward this morning? But, I left it in Abelard's saddlebbag. Do you want to go get it real quick?" Janet jumped up and down, thoroughly excited by the prospect of a new plaything. As soon as Halt's hands left her shoulders, she bolted outside to go retrieve it. Even the old Ranger couldn't help but smile at her antics.

"You know, I didn't just come here to catch up with you. Will, something has come up in the north and you're nnot going to like it." Halt remarked somberly once she had left. Will sighed and shook his head slowly at his former mentor.

"When do I ever like it, Halt? Now, what is it?" Halt looked about warily before lowering his voice.

"Do you remember that disturbance we were going to check out the day Janet was born?" Both parents winced as they remembered the day.

"Yes, I remember. But what does that have to do with what is going on now?" Will asked quietly, not daring to raise his eyes to look at the others.

"Well, the disturbance has been going on and off ever since then. But only recently, we have gained a name in this. One of the northern farmers caught it when they drove the disturbers into Picta."

"Well, who is it?" Alyss and Will chimed in unison. Halt sighed and whispered the name to them. Will blanched.

"But- but we took care of him years ago! We watched him be crushed in that cave! How can he be alive?" he cried, forsaking all pretences of secrecy.

"Well, we're assuming that it is just someone who took up the name, rather than the original man. But it also could be the man's child, if he had one, that is." All three aduts lapsed into a foreboding silence until Janet burst through the door, carrying a small bundle.

"Look! Look!" she shouted, unwrapping the gift. Two sets of eyes narrowed and stared accusingly at the third pair. Oblivious to the adults' moods, Janet waved her present in the air.

"Grandpa Halt got me a bow just like Papa's!"

"Come now little one. I made it!" Halt said indignantly, pointedly ignoring Will and Alyss.

"Halt. . . "

"Oh come off it! It's just a toy, nothing more. She always looks so forlorn when we train with ours that I thought, why not?" he defended, never taking his eyes off the little girl.

"Halt! She's a little girl! Even if she was a boy this kind of gift would be questionable because of age, but that's besides the point! What were you thinking?" Alyss hissed at him, momentarily forgetting that the child in question was still in the room. Janet immediatley went stock still, staring up at herr mother with tears forming in herr eyes.

"Does this mean I can't have it?" she aske in a quavering voice. Alyss looked to the men for help, but only found a blank expression and challenging stare that would get her nowhere in this predicament. Sighing inwardly and outwardly, Alyss looked at her daughter and gently wiped her tears away.

"I never said that, baby. You can have it as long as you don't hurt anyone with it." Janet flashed a huge grin and went back to admiring the wooden creation. Halt allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch, knowing that this skill of getting what she wanted was going to prove very useful to Janet in the future.

* * *

That night, Janet once again snuck out of the house, this time taking out her new gear. She proceeded to do just as she had the night before, shooting the arrows out at various trees, trying in vain to actually hit _something_. She noticed that he aim was significantly better now that the bow she used was just the right size for her. Janet wandered around the forest abit, gathering her scattered arrows for one more round before she went back inside when a thought occured to her. _Why am I doing this?_

The question shocked the poor girl so much that she froze ass she was, hand extended to as if too reach down and pluck an arrow from the dirt. Why exactly _was _she doing this? It wasn't as if she was doing it to lash out against her parents(they had done nothing wrong that she could think of), nor was she doing it to just do it. There was a purpose for her doing this, she just could't figure out what it was. Janet shook the thought off and unfroze herself, grabbing the last few arrows by their shafts and carrying them back the the clearing. But she still couldn't help but wonder as she loosed the last arrow into the forest, what exactly she had to gain from this.

Six months later after the same routine night after night, did Janet finally manage to hit every target. While none of them were even close to dreaming of being in the middle, not one flew off into the trees beyond. Elated, Janet pulled each arrow from it's mark, pleased with herself immensely so. She went back to standing in the midle of the clearing and nocked her first arrow. Just as she was about to release it, the answer to the question she had asked her self months ago became apparent. _I want to become a Ranger. _It was so simple. How had she not known it before? All the adults she knew revered Rangers. Not only that, but her father was one! Her own flesh and blood!

Janet released the arrow suddenly, watching it careen off into the trees as her bow jerked. She sighed and went to go retrieve it.

When she got back to her starting spot, Janet couldn't help but want to say it aloud herself.

"I want to be a Ranger." she whispered, full of excitement.

"I want to be a Ranger. She said yet again, her voice its normal volume. Giddy with all of the excitement, Janet couldn't help but want to shout it out to the world.

"I want to be a Ranger!" she called out, laughingand spinning around as she did so. She repeated the statement once more to herself to strengthen her conviction. She came to a halt and nocked another arrow. She released the string and watched the arrow fly. It had hit its mark dead center.

"I guess it was just a lucky shot." she muttered to herself, unaware of the pair of eyes wacthing her every move. She moved to nock a second arrow when she heard a voice that made her stop and her blood run cold as ice with fear.

"So this is what you've been doing. No wonder you're always so tired in the mornings."

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuuunnnnnnn! Mwahahahaha! I feel excited and slightly hypocritical. Excited because here comes one of the good parts! I will give you two guesses on who it was that Halt mentioned to Janet's parents and two for who it was that caught our little heroine. Now, I feel rather hypocritical because I hate cliffies, but I just went and gave you a huge one! :) But no matter. Here are the acknowledgements for this chapter then I have an announcement to make.

**Follows: **Brackenfern and Horserida! Welcome to the fold!

**Favorites: **Horserida and Lauren-kun! Welcome Lauren-kun and congratulations to Horserida on the double shout out!

**Reviews: **Airmage! Thank you very much for the compliment!

Now for the announcement. I know I promised this as a Christmas gift, but I suffer from crippling writer's block occasionally, so I only ever get to write when the mood strikes me or I have a genius idea. I apologize for this and as such I also have a request. Please review people! Email alerts keep me motivated! Also, I need your input. You are the readers, so what would you like to see happen next? Come on people, feed a starving writer her inspiration please! I wouldn't mind cookies either... But that is besides the point. Oh, and I have reread my previous chapters and I personally believe they are absolute rubbish. The idea is there, but I executed it rather poorly...*emo corner* T.T Anyway, Have a happy new year and I promise to try and write faster so as to not leave you hanging for so long! Bye!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! Email alerts make me so happy! Also, I won the Reigonal Spelling Bee on Thursday! Tuesday is district and I can't wait!

From now on, all acknowledgements will be at the bottom(it's just easier that way) and I have realized that I nevery put in a disclaimer. It's because I'm much too lazy. It's blatantly obvious that John Flanagan is NOT a 13 year old girl from America. Son no, I unfortunately for me, I do not own Ranger's Apprentice and this is the only time I am saying so. I don't mean to be so bratty, but come on, why would authors create their own fan fiction account when they can just write another book about such? Sorry, here's the story.

* * *

Janet slowly turned around to face the man, fear and disappointment raging through her. She had gotten so far! It just wasn't fair to get cut off now! Even though she knew the voice, the fact that he had gotten so close to her from when he spoke startled her as she looked up at him.

"Gr- Grandpa Halt! I, I

can explain!" she stuttered, desperately racking her brain for any excuse that seemed innocent enough. There wasn't one.

"So you want to be a Ranger, huh?" he sighed "Just like your father, so very restless. It's tiresome, really. But I guess if that's what you really want. I always wondered why you were tired. I'm glad I made you that bow then." Janet looked at him in confusion.

"You aren't mad?" she asked hesitantly. If Halt hadn't been Halt, he might've laughed at her.

"Of course I'm not mad. I don't really have a right to be and neither does your father. He's done many things he shouldn't have when he was younger, but I suppose he wouldn't tell you about those times." he added thoughtfully as he was met with a blank stare.

"Just please don't tell my parents! Mama woukd take my bow and Papa would never let me out of the cabin except for chores! Please, Grandpa! Please!" she cried, hot tears springing to her eyes. Something akin to panic fllickered in Halt's eyes beffore they returned to normal.

"Calm down now, Janet. I won't tell them. But you have to understand that they will eventually find out even if you never tell them." he said soflty, mussing her hair as he did so. Halt looked past her to the arrow that jutted proudly out of the tree. "You are improving, but your placement is all wrong. Here, it's like this." Halt turned the girl around and guided her hands to the right places. He pulled back her arm and let the arrow fly, hearing the solid _thwack _as it hit the tree not a finger width from her first. "That, my dear, is how you do it." Janet looked up at him in awe, wodering how he had managed to do that with a bow as small as hers.

"Thanks, Grandpa Halt!" Halt merely nodded in acknowledgement and cast his haze to the sky.

"You should be going back now. We leave for Castle Araluen in the morning and we can't have you falling off of Tug before we start, now can we?" he said. Janet's grey eyes widened slightly and she quickly snatched her two arrows from the tree.

"I almost forgot!" Halt rolled his eyes. Of course she had.

"It's fine. Just hurry up in case Will decides he needs coffee in the middle of the night." Janet just looked at him.

"Grandpa Halt? How did you know I was here and why are you out this late?" it was Halt's turn to stare- he hadn't expected her to ask that. He searched her face a moment before turning on his heel and starting the walk back up towards the cabin.

"I usually come to watch you practice." he threw over his shoulder. Janet blinked for a few moments before running to catch up with Halt.

"You _what_?"

* * *

Janet twitched again. She couldn't help it, she was just so excited to be going. Alyss and Will eyed their daughter warily, wondering what the sudden change in morning demeanour was.

"Baby, are you alright?" Will asked, finally not able to stand it.

"It's nothing, really Papa. I'm fine. Just excited, is all." she chirped happily "Mama, can I have one last pice of bread before we leave? Please?" Alyss rolled her eyes and gave Janet what she asked for.

"At this rate, we won't have any left for the trip.' Halt grumbled from his seat at the table. "Are we ever going to get going?"

"Right after you finish your coffee. I put extra honey in it just for you." Willl chimed in, handing his old mentor the steaming mug. Halt pulled a face.

"You didn't."

Will's eyes gleamed mischeviously in the morning light. "Of course I did."

"No, he didn't. Don't worry Halt, he knows not to mess with your coffee." Alyss said, swatting her husband on the arm. He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the spot she hit. The look in his eyes told Halt not to let him be in charge of coffee on their travels.

"Aren't you a little old to be pulling tricks like this?"

"One is never to old for jokes, Halt. You should know that." Halt raised an eyebrow as if to say 'Should I?' Will rolled his eyes and picked Janet up off the ground.

"Papa, can I bring my bow? I want to show Uncle Horace and Aunt Cassie and Tommy!" Will exchanged a glance with Alyss before shaking his head, his brown curls brushing against her forehead.

"No, you can't bring your bow. There's no need for it and you don't want to lose it."

"But-" Janet stopped herself when she caught Halt's gaze. "Alright."

"What? Is there something you need to tell me? Hmm?" Janet shrank in his arms under his scrutiny.

"It's nothing, Papa." she muttered, burying her face into his shoulder. Will looked at her skeptically but shrugged and moved her to his shoulders.

"Alright then, let's go." He stooped a bit through the doorway and set Janet down on Tug's saddle before ducking back into the cabin. "Aren't you two coming?"Halt peered at him over his cup.

"Of course we are. Do you really think that we would leave poor Janet alone with you for more than a day or two?" he asked setting the cup down and standing up. Will rolled his eyes and walked back out.

"Janet! No! Don't try to climb down yourself!" he cried rushing over to her as she dropped to the ground, landing quietly on her feet.

"Why not, Papa?"

"Because you could hurt yourself!"

"Well I din't this time, did I?"

"Well, no, but- "

"Then why not?" Will stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say to his daughter. He turned around to plead with his wife through his eyes.

"I agree with you Janet, but you shouldn't just the same because your father worries about you." Alyss called from the porch. Janet pouted, but eventually sighed in acquiescence and let her father settle her back on top of Tug.

Alyss turned to Halt, who was standing a bit behind her. "How far advanced is she now? I haven't watched her in a few months." Halt looked up at her in surprise.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Alyss." Alyss fixed him with a patronizing look.

"Don't give me that, Halt. I saw you two this morning." Halt sighed and looked again to the little girl and her father.

"She's definitely her father's daughter. She's as good as any first year apprentice. Surprising, considering her age and gender, but not so much when you take into account her lineage. How long do you think it will take before he finds out?" he said quietly.

"I give it a few years. He may have keen senses, but when it comes to Janet they all go numb. I would be rather surprised if he finds out before she is ten years old. It seems like a while, but it's already been six years since she was born. Time flies, huh?" With that, Alyss walked off towards her husband and child. Halt stood there for a moment and followed the blonde into the sunlight. He watched his former apprentice flit around, recalling an old nickname the man had recieved from a while back.

"Hey Cho Cho, are we going to leave now, or would you like to leave the day after the prince's birthday?" As Halt had hoped, the nickname had not gone unnoticed. Alyss covered her mouth to stifle the giggles and Will had turned thirty shades of red in a few seconds. Janet looked between the three adults then turned to her father.

"Cho Cho? What's that supposed to mean?" Halt opened his mouth to respond, but Will beat him to it.

"It's nothing, Janey. And in answer to your question, _Alto-san_, we will leave just as soon as you lock the cabin." he turned to his daughter, only to be caught under the full force of her angry glare.

"Don't call me Janey. My name is Janet." Will shrugged and swung up into Tug's saddle behind her and capturing the reins in his hands.

"Let's go then!" Will nudged Tug into a trot, the other two following close behind.

* * *

So, it wasn't Will! I bet you guys didn't see that one coming! Now, no one has given me their opinion on who Halt was talking about in chapter four. Come on guys, I'm curious to see who you think it is. The next chapter will be written from Tommy's point of view, rather than Janet's. It needs to be if you're going to understand the later chapters. WARNING: SEVERAL TIME SKIPS AHEAD! I need to skipp alot of things to get to the main story 's POV will take up two or three chapters... I will say that depending on how District goes, you might just get the next chapter by Tuesday or Wednesday. NOw for the moment you've all been waiting for! Acknowledgements!

**Follows: **monstercat326 and SaraL97! Welcome to the fold my new little sheepies! Well, I guess one of you is a kitten...

**Favorites: **None that I am aware of, but that's alright!

**Reviews: **Boo- Oh, don't worry, there will be some angst and lifethreatening situations coming later! Plus, that story line comes to play if I actually write a sequel to this once it's finished. I have some ideas that I'm toying with.

FarmersDaughter- I love that movie too and thank you very much for the well wishes. I'm on a roll right now, so hopefully the chapters will be added quicker ^.^ You've been a very faithful reader so far, virtual cookies for you!

Sarilka- Thank you very much! I hope you keep reading this!

Now, wish me luck for the District Spelling Bee and don't forget to review. I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone that I told you, ok? The more email alerts an author gets, the more we feel pressured to write, so chapter come faster! Oh, and if you were not mentioned in thee acknowledgements but you know you did one of those three things inbetween this chapter and the last one, please let me know and you will be in the next chapter's shout outs. Well, that's all for now. Bye!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! I'll delete that pesky Author Note this summer when I'm officially back. Enjoy!

AGE 8: It Begins

Thomas raced around the castle, looking everywhere. Where could she have gone? What if something happened to her? What if she was lost?

"Janey! Janey, where are you?" he called, panicking more and more. Rounding a corner, he saw one of the rooms was open. Cautiously, he went into the room, turning his head side to side to sweep the room with his gaze.

"Jan-" WHAM! Cackling like the crazy six year old she was, Janet lay there with a grin plastered on her face as Thomas groaned underneath her.

"I surprised you, didn't I Tommy?"

"I think you broke something! That hurt, Janey!" he moaned, rolling and successfully pushing her off of his back. "Next time, I get to be the Wargal." Janet stood and crossed her arms, pouting in the way that always got her what she wanted.

"But it's no fun when you do it!" she whined. Thomas almost gave in, but the pain in his chest prevented him from doing so.

"No Janet. Think of it this way. You get to be the hero that saves everyone in the castle from the monster. Do you want to be evil all the time?" he pressed. Janet's face fell. She hadn't thought about it that way.

"Oh, okay. I'll be the fearless ranger that slays you!" she cried, striking a pose. Thomas couldn't help but laugh at her antics. He took her hand and led her out of the room, back to the grand hall.

"Just don't get lost, little ranger. I don't want anything to happen to you. This is a big castle and it wouldn't be good if I got in trouble and couldn't play with you again."

Janet lowered her head, hiding her face with her curly brown hair. "I'm sorry, Tommy." He gave a little smile.

"It's alright, just don't do it again." _You have no idea how worried I was, _he added mentally. Thomas ruffled her hair and dodged her attempt to punch him, laughing.

Janet glared at her friend and smoothed down her now-messy hair. "Don't touch my head. Now try and catch me you foul monster!" She darted off across the hall, giggling as Tommy chased her, growling and snarling.

As they ran around, a memory of Thomas' grandfather telling him something came to the forefront of his mind.

"_Tommy, you must always be careful when you're in the Great Hall. The beams in the ceiling are old and while they are being repaired, we won't be able to fix them very quickly. Don't be running around too much, but if you must, stay by the door. Is that clear?" King Duncan asked, looking at his grandchild seriously. Thomas nodded gravely. _

"_Yes, Grandfather." The King smiled and ruffled Thomas' blonde hair. _

"_Good man. Now, let's go find your mother and father." _

Janet was going farther and farther into the room. Thomas stopped and looked up.

"Janey, look out!" Thomas burst forward and wrapped his arms around Janet, pulling her back against him as one of the larger beams came crashing down. He landed on his back with a thud, Janet pulled protectively against his chest. They lay there, too stunned to move, even as their parents rushed into the room.

"Thomas, what happened?!"

Ignoring his father, Thomas sat up and looked into Janet's eyes. "Are you okay?" She looked at him, her grey eyes wide in shock and nodded slowly.

"Tommy, I don't want to play anymore." She whispered. Thomas smiled half-heartedly and stood up, hand extended to help Janet. She took his hand and ran into Will's arms, burying her face into his shoulder once he lifted her up.

"Thomas Altman. What happened here." Now, it wasn't so much a question as a demand. Thomas ripped his eyes from Janet's shaking form to his father.

"We were playing Wargals and Rangers and the beam fell, but Janet stopped me before I got hurt." He said, head down. Janet perked up at this and shook her head violently.

"That's not what happened! I kept running around and Tommy saved me! Tommy, why would you say that?" All eye whipped to the little girl in Will's arms as she defended her friend.

"I would've been crushed if he hadn't pulled me back! _He _saved _me, _not the other way around."

"Is that true, Janet?" Alyss asked, looking between her daughter and Tommy. Janet nodded vehemently in response. Horace sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Alright then. Just don't play in here anymore, okay Tommy?" Tommy nodded and they all left the hall. Janet had at some point been let down by her father and walked alongside the little prince.

"Hey Tommy?" Thomas looked up at her.

"Yeah?" Janet looked ahead at their parents then back to Tommy. Quickly, she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.

"Thanks for saving me." Thomas felt his face turn pink and he just nodded, unable to calm his raging blush and fluttering heart.

Oh young love! Well, I hope you guys like this little chapter. I did tell you the next few are going to be from Tommy's point of view. I was only able to write and post this because I was on the computer for homework and everyone else was upstairs. . Shout outs next!

**Follows: **Percabeth03, Gigigue, Memmola, everabandgeek, Alyss Mainwaring(I love your pen name!), Takiyoshashi

**Favorites: **Robin4thewin, Memmola, Takiyoshashi, Writer-born-from-Shadows

**Reviews: **Rita Rates, Brackenfern, Farmers Daughter, Boo, Water Type Master, Memmola, Hawkwishes, Writer-born-from-Shadows

Thank you all for your words of encouragement, and yes, those of you who answered, it is Tennyson, but not the Tennyson you're thinking of. _ I placed eighth at District(stupid pronouncer said my word wrong…) and Farmers Daughter, we share a birthday month! So ya know, feel free to ask questions and I will answer them. R&R my lovely readers!

~AnimeApprentice


	7. Chapter 7

I'M BACK PEOPLES! This chapter is brought to you by my good friend Prince Dusk. Say hi Dusk! **Hello. **Wonderful! Now, you all asked for angst, I give you angst. If this chapter isn't foreshadowing, I don't know what is. On to the angsty chapter! And remember, the ages are Tommy's, not Janet's.

* * *

Nightmares and Dreams ~ Age: 14(17 in the dream)

_It was silent, save for his ragged breathing and the ever gaining hoof beats of their pursuers. He adjusted the limp form on his back, never breaking his gait._

_"Hold on! Just hold on, Janey! Don't fall asleep on me! Please, just hold on!" he cried, feeling her head loll on his shoulder._

_"It hurts Tommy. I'm just gonna close my eyes for a bit. 'S fine." she moaned, trailing off as her arms slackened their hold around his neck._

_"Oh no you don't!" he yelled, jumping to jolt her back awake. "Come on Janey, just a bit more. I can see the castle from here. If you fall asleep, they'll catch us. You don't want to go back to them, do you?" Janet's arms and legs tightened around him and she shook her head violently._

_"No. I don't want to go back. It hurts, Tommy. They hurt me. I don't want to go back." Unshed tears pricked his eyes and his heart broke over again._

_"Why don't you just go call Page, Janey? Do that so they won't catch us. You won't go back." Thomas felt Janet nod and moments later heard her shrill whistle cut through the night air. A whinny sounded in reply and soon, Page was cantering alongside him. Still running, Thomas shifted Janet in front of him and hoisted her onto Page's back._

_"Faster-than-the-wind!" Thomas half-shouted half-panted, beginning to slow down. At this, Janet perked up and turned around, eyes wide with panic._

_"Wait - Tommy! Tommy, no! _NO!_"_

_Thomas ran blindly now, tears obscuring his vision as he continued to slow down. Finally he tripped and twisted on his back. He was quickly surrounded by horses. He watched as one of the riders dismounted and approached him, drawing back the hood of his cloak. Thomas' eyes widened and the man grinned._

_"You..."_

_"Me."_

_Thomas scrabbled back and drew his sword, standing up in the process._

_"My, my, how the mighty have fallen." the older one sneered._

_"You're one to talk ... Uncle." The older one kept his grin up and ran his fingers through his hair._

_"I guess you're right about that one, _Your Highness_."_

_Thomas flinched involuntarily at the title. He hated it when people addressed him like a that._

_"Are you just going to belittle me, or is this conversation going somewhere?" he spat, whipping around his eyes for any means to escape. This was not lost on the man and he pointed out such._

_"You know, we can't very well let you escape now that you know who I really am." Thomas couldn't help but ask the question plaguing his mind._

_"But ... why? Why would you do this? I thought you all were friends!" The man laughed mirthlessly._

_"Friends? Your father, married to the crown princess and is the best knight in Araluen. Your 'Uncle', the most famous and celebrated Ranger. Your 'Aunts'? One is a renowned Courier as well as married to the aforementioned Ranger, and the other is a cook known throughout nearly all fifty fiefs! Where did that leave me?! Then your father and your Uncle go and kill my only living family member!" he yelled, the light of the moon highlighting his sharp features. Thomas was very confused. His father always talked highly of the man before him. What was this story? His confusion must have shown through though, because the man elaborated._

_"Tennyson! He was my mother's older brother! I had been writing him and he said he was coming to get me, when I get a letter from some Genovesan, saying that he had been killed by two rangers and a knight!" Thomas paled. He remembered that story._

_"Now, I hate to use a common phrase, but all the same. Any last words, Prince Thomas?" The man twirled his sword before readying the point at the boy's heart. Thomas closed his eyes, hearing the hiss of steel in the air. Tensing for the pain, Thomas waited for a moment before he heard a cry of pain. But . . . . it wasn't his own. He hurriedly opened his eyes and the sight that greeted him was worse than death._

_"Janet! Janet, no! _NO!_"_

Thomas sat bolt upright in a cold sweat, sheets tangled around him. Blue eyes wide, he whipped his head around, looking for one person in particular. Said person moaned and wiggled under the blankets.

"S'not morning yet. I don't want to get up. Go back to sleep, Tommy." Janet mumbled sleepily, turning to snuggle into his side. "Mmm, you're warm, Tommy." Poor Thomas was bright red and rather thankful for the darkness so Janet couldn't see his blush. _Ah, that's right, _he thought to himself, _She had a nightmare, so she came in and slept in my room. _He exhaled slowly and dragged his hands down his face.

"What a dream. . . " he murmured. Thomas stretched his arms upwards and looked down at the sleeping girl, only to nearly have a panic attack when he realized he was shirtless. He groaned after a moment of consideration. This would NOT look good when their parents came looking for them in the morning.

Quietly slipping out of Janet's hold, he padded to the other side of the bed and lifted her in his arms. Thomas made his way out of his room at the top of this tower, to her room the floor below. He tucked her in, brushing her hair out of her face and ghosting a kiss across her forehead. Looking out the window, Thomas noticed the faint hues of orange, purple and pink that heralded the morning. Running his fingers through his damp locks, he turned once again to Janet, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Happy 13th Birthday, Janey."

* * *

Now if that wasn't foreshadowing, I honestly don't know what is. So much is the gravity of that statement, that I just had to say it twice. First person to tell me who the villain is in the story, gets the next two chapters dedicated to them, as well as several dozen virtual cookies! ^-^ Just a few more of these little mini oneshot things, and you get to see what happens when Will finds out~!(And then we get to the lovely, lovely angst:) Just send me prompts of one or two words, and I will create a chapter around it, or incorporate several words into a single chapter. It has to be fluffy so I can progress along the love between my two OCs. Also, feel free to review or PM me any questions you might have. I'm going crazy over here!

I hope this was enough angst to tide y'all over. This chap is dedicated to **Boo **and **Savannah Silverstone**, who asked me for angst. Well, here it is, my lovelies~!**  
**

**Follows:** SeeUChan 3, erak, and kirakira kitty Welcome~!

**Favorites: **erak

**Reviews: **Savannah Silverstone- Here's your angst! And I'm sure I'll be fine. My friend Dusk is helping me out in my predicament, isn't that right, Dusk? **Yeah, I guess. Just hurry up so I can have my laptop back. I have my own fanfictions to write you know...**

FarmersDaughter- Oh, I wasn't brave, I was impatient ;), but thanks for the compliment! I suffer from the same problem . It stinks like my little brother's socks!

SeaWolf90- Thank you for the praise! I bask in it! (Not really. If I did, I'm pretty sure I'd be a lot more tan than I am now because of all my awesome readers!)

erak- ^-^ I am writing a book, several of them to be exact! Maybe I'll post them on FictionPress sometime... But thank you!

With love~,

AnimeApprentice


	8. Chapter 8

Birthday Charms Age: 8 (almost 9)

_"Can I tell you a secret, Tommy?"_

_"Anything Janey! You can count on your brave knight!" _

_"Alright, but you must never tell my Papa or he will get really mad. You ready?"_

_"Ready!" _

_"Okay, here it is. I want to be a Ranger." _

The conversation had been going through Thomas' mind since he had participated in it just two nights before. He wanted to do something about it to make his friend happy, but he didn't know what. So, he resolved to ask someone who he thought would know the best.

Halt.

Now, it was just the matter of finding the grizzled Ranger that was the hard part. Eventually Thomas found him in the library, pouring over various maps and letters.

"Uncle Halt?" Thomas called out. Halt moved his gaze up to see the little boy standing on the other side of the table.

"Yes, Thomas?" Halt supposed that his research could wait until later, seeing as he was usually left to himself unless it was time for meals, or training.

"What's important to a Ranger?" Well, that certainly wasn't what he had expected. Halt merely raised an eyebrow.

"What has brought on this question, lad?" Though, he was pretty sure it had something to do with a certain soon-to-be six year old brunette girl that was running around somewhere in the castle.

"Oh, no reason. I just wanted to know and Uncle Will is to busy talking to Papa to answer me." Halt really doubted that. All the adults in the castle, be them guest, resident, or servant, were positively enamored by the two children and would never in their right mind ignore them. Unless of course, they were drunk. Speaking of which, he was going to have to make sure those two _weren't _drunk...

"Well Thomas, there are many important things to a Ranger. Of course, our longbows and arrows are a big part of it, as well as our cloaks. We have our knives too. All of these are essential Ranger equipment, along with these little things called strikers. I suppose coffee is a big part of it too, and our horses."

"Like Tug and 'Lard?" Halt resisted an irritated sigh. Honestly, what was so hard about saying 'Abelard'?

"Yes, like Tug and _Abe_lard. But there is something that is important above all of those things."

"What? What?!"

"Our oak leaves." Halt paused and pulled out his own silver pendant for the boy to see. "This thing here tells people that you are a Ranger, and if you're an apprentice or not. Apprentices have bronze, and we full Rangers have silver. These, Thomas, are our identity." Okay, maybe adding that last part was laying it on a little thick, but Thomas looked so enraptured, he couldn't help himself.

After a few minutes of thought, Thomas's face lit up, the perfect idea forming in his mind.

The next morning, Horace and Thomas were in town to visit the jeweler to pick up Cassandra's new necklace they wanted to surprise her with. As Horace paid the man, Thomas was fascinated by the pile of fine metal scraps next to the fire, ready to be sorted out and melted down. It seemed to him as if they left all too soon, still captivated by that pile, by the beautiful blend of gold, silver and bronze that gleamed in the fire light.

Mustering up his courage, the little prince approached someone to help him make his idea reality. "Auntie Lyss? Can you take me somewhere?" Needless to say, Alyss was amused and a bit surprised by the request, though she accepted gladly, happy for an excuse to get out and stretch her legs in the midday sun.

"Where to, Thomas?" she asked once they were outside the gates. He pointed in the direction of the jeweler's workshop, fully intent on getting what he had in mind. Alyss nodded and they set off, though she couldn't help but wonder what he could possibly want there, as they had already come back with Cassandra's necklace.

It wasn't a very long walk, though it felt like hours to Thomas, impatient to place his order and see the end result. By the time they reached the shop, the jewler was finishing off his lunch and beginning to get ready to continue working. Barely anyone knew of the secret back entryway that opened into his workspace and living area, so it naturally came as a surprise when he heard his back door creak open for the second time that day. The man turned around and smiled warmly upon seeeing the prince and his escort.

"Lovely to see you again, Thomas! What can I do for you?" he asked, taking a pan of melted gold out of the fire to pour into some of the molds he had set out. Thomas eyed the remaining pile that he had seen just hours before and nodded to himself before speaking.

"I wish to have a necklace." The jeweler was confused.

"Weren't you just here for a necklace this morning? Was there something wrong with it?"

"No, there was nothing wrong. I want a different one. For a friend." he replied, shaking his head. Alyss bit back a giggle and settled for a small smile. This was just too cute! He was clearly getting one for Janet - this was definitely going back to the princess. Alyss zoned back into the conversation when Thomas began describing what he wanted.

"Yeah, out of all three, mixed together! And in the shape of an oak leaf!" He spoke very enthusiastically and the two adults could not help but smile fondly at the excitement.

"What do you want for the chain, Thomas?" the jeweler asked, beginning to sketch it out. Thomas thought about it for a moment, trying to recall what Halt's chain had been made out of. When he realized he didn't know, Thomas just tried to imagine what it would look like with Janet wearing it.

"Um, old bronze." he said finally.

"Old bronze?"

"Mm hm! It's like regular bronze, but not shiny, like this!" Thomas fished an old bronze coin out of the pouch at his waist that held all his interesting discoveries and showed the man. He nodded and scribbled down some notes onto the sketch paper.

"So let me check if I have this all correct. You want a necklace with an 'old bronze' chain and a charm made out of gold, silver, and bronze, in the shape of an oak leaf?" he read off of the sheet, making a few corrections to the drawing while he was at it. Thomas nodded, pleased that he had figured out he perfect gift for Janet. The man smiled and scratched his chin in thought. "I should be able to have it done in two days. It is a simple enough design and since you want the metals combined, that saves me the trouble of sorting out my scraps to be remelted. Is that good for you, Thomas?" The boy nodded furiously. This was perfect! Janet's birithday was in three days, so he would have enough time to hide it from her.

"Thank you, James! I'll see you in two days!" With that, the two left, but not before James and Alyss shared a smile at the boy's antics.

Those two days could not have gone by any slower in Thomas' eyes. But now it was time to go pick up the necklace and the little prince could not have been happier. Ever impatient, he shifted from foot to foot at James brought it out, half believing that the world was moving slower than normal just to torment him. James held it up by the chain and swung it a little to get Thomas' attention.

The boy's breath caught when he first saw it. It was simply breathtaking. The combination of gold, silver and bronze created a color akin to the coat of a fine chestnut gelding* and even the chain was done perfectly as if it had come straight from his imagination.

"James, it's perfect!" Thomas made to give the man a small pouch of money for it, but the jeweler pushed it back.

"No, no. You keep your money. It really wasn't any trouble. If anything, it helped me relax and do better with some of my more intricate pieces and that was payment enough. Though I do hope your lady friend likes it." Thomas went red at the man's words and numbly accepted the necklace. "Oh, I almost forgot!" James quickly went to grab something from by the fire. A small wooden box was pressed into the boy's hand. Looking down in awe, Thomas marvelled at the tiny container, running his fingers over the inlaid swirls of the lid. Alyss stepped closer to cath a glimpse and gasped.

"James, this, it-it's beautiful!" she exclaimed. He waved it off, saying something about a favor someone had owed him and shooing them out the door. But Thomas was aware of none of it. He saw nothing but the metallic swirls and rich mahogany of the jewellery bow in his hand.

'Here, open this one Janet!" Will exclaimed, handing his daughter a bundle of cloth. Janet took it and slowly unrolled it, only to stop in confusion when she discovered nothing inside.

"What is it, Papa?" Janet looked up at the adults surrounding her, legs swinging aimlessly as she tried without much success to sit still. Will gave a fond smile and fully unfolded the cloth.

"It's my first Ranger's cloak! I know you've complained about it being cold at night even with your cot next to the fire, so when I found this at the back of our wardrobe, I thought it would make a perfect present!" Horace peered closer and laughed.

"Oh yes! Look, that spot is still darker than the rest where I spilled coffee on it on our way back from Skandia!" All of the adults laughed except Will and Halt - Will because he was upset at the reminder and Halt was too busy watching Janet's reaction, along with Alyss.

Janet was running her hands all over the cloth, a look of wonder, trepidation and guilt on her face. It was small things like this that made her wish she could tell her father about her training, but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't belive her father had heard her complain to Halt about how cold it was at night - she nearly blew it because she was a bit chilly! She gave a small sigh and looked up at her parents with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you so much! It feels so warm! Can I really have it?" Will ruffled her curls and chuckled.

"Of course! That's why I gave it to you after all. Can't have my little girl freezing, now can I?" She nodded absently and remained quiet as he fixed it around her and did up the tie in the front. When Janet stood, the cloak pooled at her feet, obviously too big for a six year old, but it certainly was a step in the right direction. The adults cooed and fawned over her until it was time for her to go to sleep.

Janet wrapped the blankets around herself and snuggled into her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Bolting upright in a cold sweat, Janet breathed heavily a few times, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Now that she was awake, the nightmare was fading, but the raw terror she felt in it was still running rampant through her. Without a second thought, she climbed out of bed and grabbed her cloak, running as fast as she could up the stairs to the safest place she could think of: Thomas' room.

She opened the door slowly, wincing as it creaked loudly. "Tommy? Are you awake?" she called out tentatively. Thomas sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes in attempt to clear his vision. That door was _really_ loud.

"I am now. What's wrong, Janey? I'm tired." Not to mention that he was upset that he hadn't gotten the chance to give her the necklace, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Janet rushed forward to the edge of his bed, the too-big cloak swishing on the ground as it trailed behind her.

"Can I sleep here with you? I had a nightmare..." Both flinched as the door shut, and Thomas nodded, still partially asleep. She climbed onto the bed with her friend, curling up in the cloak and falling asleep almost instantly. Thomas sighed as his body and mind fully awakened. There certainly was no going back to sleep for him for a while. He lay in bed, thinkning about anything and everything that crossed his mind, not staying on one idea or thought for more than a minute, until something flitted across his conciousness that especially caught his attention. Mentally hanging on and beginning to really think about it, he realized that now would be the perfect time to give Janet the little oakleaf. He could just put it around her neck while she was sleeping, and he wouldn't have to worry about being all awkward about it. It was perfect!

Slipping out of bed, he padded over to his wardrobe and opened it, groping blindly for the box that held his quarry. Finding it after a little while, he walked back over to the bed and clambered in, being very careful not to wake the sleeping girl on the opposite edge. Opening the box and gingerly lifting the necklace out, his fingers fumbled with the clasp, but he somehow managed to get it undone and refastened around her neck without much trouble.

_There, _he thought, _Now you are a Ranger._

Cassandra opened the door to her son's room, intending to wake him for breakfast herself. The sight that greeted her was amusing to say the least. The two children were curled up in the middle of the bed, foreheads touching and soft snores emanating. The princess couldn't help but admire how cute the two looked like that. She was still gazing at the sleeping pair when her husband and friends woke up and came to find her. The two men were dumbfounded and wondered what had lead to their children sleeping together in the first place while the women shared a smile. Halt brushed past the four and began to wake the children. Thomas awoke easily, but Janet reacted to nothing that he did. Making to lift her up, Halt noticed the little oakleaf pendant hanging aroung her neck. Tucking it safely under her dress first, he swung the girl up through the air and turned to look unamusedly at the others.

"Are we going to go down to eat, or are we going to just stand here and stare at an empty bed?" he remarked dryly. Horace shrugged and the seven made their way down to the dining hall.

Janet woke up on the way down and patted her chest in a panic, though no one but Halt noticed. Feeling the outline of the oakleaf underneath her nightdress, she was relieved. She had almost believed it to be a dream, Thomas putting the necklace around her neck, when she didn't see it right away. She looked down at her friend and smiled. There was no greater time when Janet was grateful for her ability to fake sleep.

Please don't kill me! I know that there isn't an excuse in the world that could make you forgive my lateness(belive me when I say that I've thought of nearly everything), and I tried to finish this as quick as I could, but I kept getting distracted. I'm currently working on a book that I hope to get published before my high school career is published and I've actually reached he ninth page of the first chapter. It doesn't sound like much, but I've been working with that idea for a while now. I suppose I could also say that middle school has been horrible and I've had all these other projects to work on, but there are other authors that deal with more than what I am right now and they make it work and update regularly. Hmm... Can I say that in my defense, I have the next chapter half writen out on some notebook paper somewhere in my black hole of a backpack? No? Dang it... As a side note, I recommend looking up Alexander Rybak. He's a Norwegian singer and violinist, and he's pretty cute too. I have one of his songs, Strela Amura, stuck in my head as I type this, actually. One more thing. Should I put these chapters in chronological order so they make sense? Oh, and acknowledgements, before I forget!

**Follows: **Ranger Amethyst. Welcome and thank you clicking all four boxes down there!

**Favorites: **Ranger Amethyst and LeEpicAnimeLover! Thanks guys!

**Reviews: **FarmersDaughter- Haha, I am currently writing one, like I said earlier. I have several that I'm writing, actually. Maybe I really should post some of them on Fiction Press. As for awkward situations, I absolutely love them, so I might(read: will most definitely XD) put some more situations like that in the future. Also, I have heard of that book, I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. May I suggest the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix? It's really very good, and I'm currently on Friday;)

Memmola- Thanks! I'll give you guys one hint. If you were ready to fall out of your seat then, gather up all your torture weapons, straight jackets, pitchforks, and torches, because you'll all want to absolutely murder me even more than now for what I will be doing in about 3-5 chapters^-^ Oh, and one more hint. That dream, wasn't just a dream. Have fun thinking about that!


	9. Chapter 9

Songs Amongst the Trees Age: 13

Janet looked up in the tree once again, sighing at the little girl's stubborness.

"Melody! Come down from there!"

"No!" Janet sighed. Why did seven year olds have to be so difficult? She shook her head and grabbed at a low branch, beginning to climb up.

"Fine then. I'll come up there to you." There was no response. Muttering to herself, Janet sat down on a branch slightly below the brooding seven year old. "What's the matter, Melody?" The little girl shook her head and pointed to the instrument in her lap. "Yes darling, that's a mandola. What about it?" Melody sighed in irritation and pouted, glaring at the poor tree to her right.

"I know what it is Jan-Jan. But how am I s'posed t'be a singer if I don't know songs?" Janet resisted to roll her eyes at the girl.

"You know several songs on your instrument, bluebird."

"But I can't sing!" Melody exclaimed, throwing her little hands up into the air. Janet smiled and held out her hands for the mandola.

"How about I teach you one then? You can play and I'll sing for you and teach you the words." she said with a wink. Melody brightened considerably and gladly handed over the wooden intsrument. She loved it when Janet would sing to her.

"Watch my fingers, Melody. You only have to put your fingers in a few spots for this song." Janet moved her fingers through the positions slowly, making sure the younger girl understood. She handed back the instrument and helped her get her hands right. "Alright, here we go. Just strum them one after the other, okay?" Melody nodded and Janet began.

"_The song of the meadowlark floats on the wind, _

_The forest is singing, singing from within._

_You and I stand there, there on a hill._

_We stood there til sunset, til the forest grew still_

_Won't you come back to the forest with me?_

_Won't you come hear the meadowlark's song on the breeze?_

_The song of springtime, neither winter nor fall._

_The song of springtime, the tree's whispered call._"

Janet had become so lost in the song, she didn't notice that Melody had stopped playing to listen, nor did the girls hear the approaching hoofbeats.

Thomas had woken early with an urge to go riding. He waited until everyone had gotten up as well and breakfasted with them, practically flying off to go riding in favor of playing with Janet and Melody. In hindsight, it was a bit rude to just leave them alone like that, but they were girls and would probably force him into doing something wierd. Thomas could almost hear his mother's voice laughing in his head. _Really? Janet would make you do something wierd? The same Janet that likes to wrestle with you and beat up those cadets at your battle school that one time? Are you really telling yourself that she'd force you into something wierd? Boy, you say yes to her _before_ she finishes asking her questions!_

Suffice it to say, Thomas wasn't really pleased with that voice in his head. But he was a good boy and he would never dare tell his mother to go away, even if it was just in his head. Shaking his blonde hair, he spurred his mount on, losing himself in the exhilaration of galloping through the forest. He imagined himself a noble knight, riding through battle to save his lady-love from the clutches of-

Thomas snapped his head up immediately, narrowly missing a low hanging branch. His cheeks burned with a fiery passion despite the shade that the tree canopy provided. What was that?! He most certainly wasn't a knight, at least not yet and he definitely did not have a lady-love! He really needed to stop listening to the servants' tales so often. But what had shaken him the most was that flash of familiar brown curls at the edge of his imaginary battlefield. The thought made him bristle and slightly panic. What was Janet doing on the battlefield? Imaginary or not, battle was no place for a lady! If she got hurt. . . Thomas spurred on his horse, chasing down that imaginary foe that had taken his best friend.

His horse finally slowed down in a clearing, breathing heavily and unable to run anymore. Thomas hopped off and patted his nose apologetically.

"Sorry boy, I got pretty caught up in that didn't I?" Taking off the saddle so as to unburden the animal, Thomas froze as a voice reached his ears. It rang high and clear, entrancing him. He turned to the direction it was coming from and led his horse behind him.

Getting closer, Thomas smiled. He knew that voice and that song. His Uncle Will had sung it for them on his mandola when they were younger. The only question was, why was Janet singing it now? Stopping beneath a tree, he looked up to see the girls sitting in the branches directly above him. Melody had already stopped playing, but Janet was swaying to the music in her head, waiting for the next time to come in. Thomas smiled again. This was too easy. As the time came nearer, he took a breath and began to sing.

"_I stand there now on the hill,_

_Wishing you were with me til the forest grew still._

_If only you could hear the meadowlark's song_

_All the way from where ever, where ever you've gone._"

Janet's eyes snapped open in surprise and she nearly fell out of the tree when Thomas began singing. Not that he was a bad singer, oh not at all - he was amazing - but, it just caught her off guard. Recovering quickly, she joined in with him for the chorus.

"_Won't you come back to the forest with me?_

_Won't you come hear the meadowlark's song on the breeze? _

_The song of springtime, neither winter nor fall._

_The song of springtime, the tree's whispered call._"

Their voices melded together perfectly, the harmony reverberating through the surrounding area. As the song finished, Melody squealed in delight and clapped her hands.

"Can you do it again? Oh please Jan-Jan? Please Tommy?" she pleaded. Thomas and Janet shared a look and Thomas began to climb up to reach them. Hoisting himself onto the next available branch by them, he settled down and looked between the other two.

"Maybe Janet should play so that she can do the original." Melody took the prince's suggestion and handed the older girl the mandola, eager to hear the song again. Janet took the instrument and adjusted her position to get more comfortable. Plucking a few strings experimentally, she wiggled her fingers in preparation.

"Thomas, since this song is from a man's point of view, how about you sing it and I'll join in on the part that repeats?" she asked, already beginning the soft intro. Thomas nodded and began the song.

Melody closed her eyes and smiled to herself as the older kids sang. They should do duets more often, their voices sounded so pretty together. The seven year old opened her eyes and giggled at what she saw. Janet had her eyes closed as she was playing, her fingers flying across the metal strings, while Thomas was blatantly staring at her, with an odd look in his eye that Melody had only seen in her her father's eyes when he looked at her mother. So _that's _what Alyss and the princess were talking about!

This brought on another round of giggles, shaking the girl's entire being. Thomas sent her a confused look, mentally questioning the girl's state of mind, though he did not dwell on it for long, quickly returning his gaze to where it was previously.

When the song ended, Janet finally opened her eyes and looked around, her cheeks darkening slightly as she caught Thomas' stare. He coughed awkwardly and turned away, a blush of his own rising as well. Melody looked on in amusement until she could no longer hold it in and began laughing louder than could be imagined possible for such a small person. She teetered on her perch, not paying attention as she leaned back dangerously far and fell off of the branch.

"MELODY!" the two cried in unison, scrambling to get down. Both froze halfway as a giggle erupted from below.

"Melody?" Landing with a thud, Thomas looked around to find a little girl clapping her hands and giggling, _on top of his horse. _

"Silly girl. How did you manage this?" Thomas jumped at Janet's sudden appearance on the other side of the child.

"Wha- How did you- But you were jus- What?" Janet just grinned cheekily at him.

"Ancient Ranger secret." He huffed and turned away childishly, briefly contemplating telling Halt and Crowley that Janet had (indirectly) called them "ancient".

So caught up in their antics, the two didn't notice the horse's warning nickers and increasingly skittish behavior until it was nearly too late. The stallion reared up and flailed his limbs in the air, each strike moving closer to Janet, who stood frozen with fear and shock. Melody clung to the saddlehorn with all her seven year old might, shrieking in fright at this turn of events.

"Spit Fire, no!" Thomas cried, making a grab for his friend just as the horse's hooves came crashing down in her direction. He pulled her out of the way just as Spit Fire came down on all fours and bolted towards the castle, Melody still clinging to his back.

Everything was silent after the horse took off, save for the pair's ragged breathing. Thomas turned to Janet, taking in her pale skin and widened eyes.

"Janet. . .?" She flinched and looked over at him, fear prominent in her expression. He slid his hand down and weaved his fingers through hers, squeezing her hand in a comforting gesture. They stood like that as their hearts stopped racing and their breath slowed to a normal pace.

"We should probably start heading back now - we'll be in enough trouble when they find Melody on her own." she murmured. Thomas nodded in agreement and tugged lightly on her arm to get her to start walking. He loosened his grip enough for Janet to let go if she wished, and smiled slightly when she gripped his tighter.

They held hands the rest of the way back to the castle.

To say that their parents were furious would be a rather large understatement. The adults were positively _steaming_ by the time the two had made it back. So much in fact, that Thomas and Janet nearly didn't leave the cover of the forest. But, of course, they did anyway.

"Erm, hello. We're back." That was the wrong thing to say.

"Did you have any idea how worried we were? Not only were you two gone for far longer than you were supposed to be out, you left Melody on her own!" Cassandra erupted, pinning her son with a glare. Janet's eyes widened slightly and she moved a bit to hide behind her friend. This was definitely not a side of her aunt she had seen before.

"We didn't leave her alone! Spit Fire spooked and took off on us after she had gotten on!" Thomas decided that it would be best not to mention that the little girl had mounted by falling out of a tree. He squeezed Janet's hand and stood a little straighter, the protective instinct he had inherited from his father shining through. Will and Horace shared a look and tried not to chuckle as they remembered something the knight had said years ago. _Love, indeed. _

"The poor child was screaming bloody murder when your horse reached us! How deep exactly did you go into the forest?"

"Er, well... "

"That's actually my fault Aunt Cassie. I thought it would be nice to take a walk with Melody but we got separated. I had just found her again when Thomas showed up. He was going to let us ride with him back, but something startled his horse and he took off before Thomas and I had a chance to get on, So we had to walk all the way back." Everyone turned to Janet. Cassandra sighed as her anger fizzled out. Of all times the child could've chosen to emulate her mother... She waved a hand and turned so that they wouldn't see the small smile forming on her face.

"Very well, then. Just clean up before you come to dinner." They nodded and scampered inside to do just that.

"Halt?" The grizzled Ranger sighed inwardly. Why in the world did these children always come to _him_ with their problems and questions about life. That's what their parents were for! But nevertheless, he acknowledged the girl.

"Come in, Janet." She slipped in the room quietly, laying back on the bed as Halt continued with what he was working on.

"What does it mean when someone cares for another a whole lot and they feel that they have to protect them and stick up for them and feels really happy and strange whenever they're near?" Oh my. This kind of question.

"Your mother would be a better person to ask, coinín." Janet shook her head, though he couldn't see it.

"No, she'd raise an eyebrow at me and ask if I was talking about Tommy." Halt turned around with a raised eyebrow of his own.

"Are you?" Her cheeks flamed and she sat up abruptly.

"N-no!" she spluttered, "Why would you say that?"

"I didn't say anything of the sort. You brought it up first. But in answer to your question, I suppose that that would mean that those two would be very good friends, married, or somewhere in between." He turned back around.

"Somewhere in between...?" Halt nodded. Janet lay back again and mulled over his words as he kept working. They stayed like that for several minutes, a comfortable silence havinng enveloped them.

Just as she was falling asleep, Janet pushed herself up off of his bed and crossed over to the desk.

"Good night, Grandpa Halt." She hugged him from behind and kissed him lightly on his cheek before turning to leave.

"Sleep well, Janet."

Who wants to kill me for being so late in updating? I know I do! I'll throw in a special something for the someone who comes up with the most creative way to do it!

...

...

...

...

... Really guys, I am sorry. Life has been bad. I was in California, where my mother, brother and I discovered that my aunt had been neglecting my grandmother to the point that it could be considered abuse. My grandmother was sent to the hospital because of blood sugar and pressure problems and then put in the ICU because she wasn't improving. My aunt denies that she did anything wrong, physically attacked my mother in front of my younger brother, her two little kids, and I, and lost whatever respect I had for her. Then, I redisovered why I dislike having crushes on people. There you have it, two people to blame this all on! My aunt and my best friend! Lovely... Just stay with me guys. I have not the next chapter, but the chapter after it mostly written (don't ask me how that works because I quite honestly don't have a clue) and there are a lot of feels in that one.

On another note, the word "coinín" is Irish for "rabbit" I thought that if Araluen is England and Picta was Scotland, Hibernia would have to be Ireland. Seeing as Halt is technically the long lost Prince of Hibernia, he would obviously speak that language. The nickname itself comes from a stuffed rabbit he and Lady Pauline had made out of rabbit pelts he had gathered and that she had sewn together for Janet's second birthday. She takes it with her everywhere she travels. Also, that song they are singing? I wrote that. It has a tune and everything and my friends always demand that I sing it for them because I wrote it originally for another book that I have yet to finish... I don't have anything composed for the background music though, so if someone feels the want to do that, that would be lovely!

Acknowledgements!

**Follows:** 1904

**Favorites: **Alex The Rogue

**Reviews: **FarmersGirl101 - I know, I'm such a horrible person with updating quickly... I hope you enjoy the books!

1904 - No, thank you! My FictionPress account is NekoChernyy and I only have one story posted so far. I have some other ideas, so maybe I'll post a trial chapter or two for them.

Guest - Woah, my first actual Anon! I say that because you didn't put an actual na,e for me to call you as the others have. I hope you liked this chapter!

goldenstorm - I'm on it!

I would like to wish everyone who has a birthday in June or July a Happy Birthday! Mine was June twenty first, which I know was quie a while ago. Stay awesome, readers!

~AnimeApprentice


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